


worth a thousand words

by alakewood



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-30 21:58:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8550736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alakewood/pseuds/alakewood
Summary: Stiles starts documenting everything.  He likes to tell himself that it’s just something his generation does, that he’s keeping the rest of the pack up to date through Facebook and Instagram posts, but he knows that it’s mostly because pictures are a way of proving that he’s not alone, that he’s existing beyond breathing.  And probably also because if Derek leaves again, he’ll have some kind of reminder of the man who has come to be his second best friend.





	

After Mexico, after Chris and the Calaveras’ manage to track down and _take care of_ Kate, after a brief stint of partnering up with Braeden (in more ways than one), Derek comes back to Beacon Hills for the third—and hopefully final—time. Stiles notices a change in him and it’s just as dramatic as when Derek had come back after his stay in Argentina with Cora. Or, so he’s told—he wasn’t exactly in a frame of mind to be noticing things about other people when he’d been so close to losing his grip on his sanity. But he’d heard from the others, Scott in particular, that Derek had been pretty zen. He’d done a complete 180 in regards to his previous habits; he was being open with Scott, sharing his knowledge, _being nice._

Between then and Mexico—the second time, when they were in search of Scott—Stiles never really got to see much of Derek. But he’s back again, living in a quaint little craftsman near the preserve, with more than a duffel of clothes to his name, and Stiles can’t help but think, _third time’s a charm._

Stiles sees him around all the time now, seeing as though Derek’s kind of working for Stiles’ dad as his supernatural consultant. So Derek’s over at the house occasionally to go over cases, both new and old, with John and it only takes a few months before John is casually mentioning to Derek that the police academy is still accepting applicants for the spring.

Stiles will be starting classes and BHCC around then—late, compared to Scott and Kira who are down at UC Davis, and Lydia who’s out at MIT with Danny. But after everything Stiles has been through after the last couple of years, he needs to stay close to home and his dad’s surprisingly fine with it. He’s even okay with how much time Stiles spends with Derek because, with everyone else in their pack gone, they’ve really only got each other.

When Derek officially becomes a deputy, it’s like he’s around all the time. And they hang out _a lot._ They get lunch, get dinner, go to the movies, go for coffee, and somewhere along the line, Stiles starts documenting everything. He likes to tell himself that it’s just something his generation does, that he’s keeping the rest of the pack up to date through Facebook and Instagram posts, but he knows that it’s mostly because pictures are a way of proving that he’s not alone, that he’s existing beyond breathing. And probably also because if Derek leaves again, he’ll have some kind of reminder of the man who has come to be his second best friend. Sometimes Stiles thinks they could be more, but he’s not going to push and force something that could happen naturally.

Derek’s not on any social media, despite Stiles’ constant cajoling, but it’s probably a good thing—when Stiles scrolls through his own Instagram feed, 90% of his posts are Derek, or Derek-adjacent. Usually Derek’s in them, but sometimes the pictures are of Stiles’ latte art or a ridiculously huge pizza from Valentino’s or a double order of curly fries they split when they get burgers from Dom’s diner.

If Stiles’ Instagram is bad, his photo library on his phone is even worse. That too is basically all Derek. His digital photo stash isn’t a stash any more, it’s a legit _horde._ He knows he should delete a lot of the pictures, but he can’t find it in himself to get rid of even one. Even the ones with the really bad lens flare from Derek’s eyes reflecting the flash.

He’s still hunched over his phone, just having realized how gone he is on Derek because of his extensive documentation of the last few months of their lives, when Derek drops down into the booth opposite him. “Can’t figure out which filter to use? I’ve heard Valencia is, like, the go-to. At least according to Sylvia’s niece Tasha.”

Stiles just shakes his head and sets his phone on the table, turning it around and sliding it over to Derek. It’s open to his photo library and he starts scrolling up once it’s got Derek’s attention. Derek takes over for him after a moment, the corner of his mouth lifting with each flick of his finger. When he’s done, he it’s the home button and pushes Stiles phone back to him before digging out his own.

When Derek sets his phone in front of Stiles, open to his own photo library, filled with pictures of Stiles, he just smiles and says, “Me, too.”


End file.
